David Rossi's Halloween Party
by cmguysgirl
Summary: This started out as a Halloween story. It took longer so posting now. Rossi had big plan for the next day, All Saints Day so that will be when part two takes place. This doesn't follow the Halloween episode as I started it before I saw it but it alludes to Morgan's reaction to the Holiday in the Episode where Rossi was introduced to team. This is the Story of Halloween Rossi style.
1. Chapter 1

**David Rossi's Halloween Party **

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all the Music I allude to in this story belong to their owners. None of which are me. I just typed up the story as the figments of the Criminal Minds creator/writers' imagination, aka the characters, dictated it to me. I make no money off of this. Heck I don't even get to spend any time with the actors who bring these characters to life and who wouldn't want to spend time with the men of the BAU's Alpha Team.

A/N: I will post the links to the websites I researched and the songs I allude to in this story at the end of the last part. At this moment, I only foresee two parts and the second part is mostly written, they just have to tell me the end. I would also like to thank a couple of my good friends who are non Criminal Minds watchers for talking me through some discussions on the Catholic Church. I am not Catholic and I had started this story just before Halloween but a few days after Thanksgiving, I was sitting at work and working on this on my lunch and went, wait will a Priest be allowed to do what I want him to do due to not all the characters being Catholic. This led me to research the subject on-line and I spent the better part of my lunch doing that. It was a good thing I had brought lunch that day as I could take my time and just explore the subject. Even though, I was fascinated with what I learned could not be done, the characters insisted what they had hinted to me happened, had indeed happened the way they said it did, and since there seemed to be some parts of my research that said discretion could be used under certain circumstances, I decided to consult a couple of my Catholic friends and get their opinions on the ideal. I want to state once again, I am not of the Catholic faith, and follow that up by it is not and was not my intention to offend anyone who is with this story or any parts of it. David Rossi told me before I even got to that part to write it down, that he is Catholic and that one of his oldest and dearest friends is the Priest, Father Jimmy, so there is no one else he would want to ask to help him out in this situation. So I know some of part two may seem like it wouldn't be possible in the Catholic Church, but under these circumstances, I can see them happening. Also remember this is fan fic not the real life so I ask your indulgence when I take a little Literary License. I don't want to give too much of the story away so I will address the issue more at the end of part two. Thanks again to Redcat and Rangeramps for your invaluable listening ear and advice on this story and all the things you have listened to me ramble about over these many years we have been friends.

Visit the Strauss/Rossi Forum, You Give Me Fever You Give Me Fever: forum/You-Give-Me-Fever/120042/ . Feel free to adopt, take over and/or use any of the plot bunnies or add your own you would like to see someone write. 

**Part One: Halloween**

So JJ, what is my Godson going to be for Halloween this year? Reid asked as most of Alpha team sat around the Bull Pen waiting for Hotch to get off his conference call so they could decide where they were going for drinks that night. It was a Friday night about two weeks before Halloween and they didn't have to work tomorrow so they decided to go out and have a good time relaxing after a week of non-stop paperwork.

Halloween was Reid's favorite holiday and he wanted to know what their plans were so he could spend some time with his Godson if they were not on a case.

Things have been so crazy with work for both Will and I that we haven't had a chance to pick out anything yet Spence, but we promised Henry that we would go Sunday before we have an afternoon picnic.

Are you taking him trick or treating, Prentiss asked?

"Of course". "His preschool has been making decorations and talking about it all month. So, he is super excited".

"Ooh make sure you take lots of pictures of my little Sugar Dumpling," Garcia chimed in.

"Will do PG"

"I can't believe you let your kid go to the houses of strangers trick or treating with all that we see" Morgan threw in.

"Are you still creeped out by the holiday Hot Stuff"

"I for one agree with Morgan" said Rossi, who had heard the conversation and he walked up to the group.

"As much as I want to guys, I can't wrap him up in cotton-wool, and besides he is only going to the houses of our neighbors, most of which we know, and Will and I both will be with him.

By this time Hotch had finished his call and had come down to the Bull Pen and he added his two cents, "I take Jack every year I am home. Jessica takes him if we are away on a case. With all we see on a daily basis, it can be easy to never let them out of the house but it is not fair to make them a virtual prisoner in their own home. Besides they need to get out and interact socially to build the important skills that will prevent them from turning into the type of person we want to protect them from".

Well lucky for you, there is no need to worry about that this year because you are all invited to a Halloween Party at my house.

His team all looked at him like he had grown another head.

"Say what?" asked Morgan

"Um Rossi, did you forget, you HATE Halloween" Prentiss said.

"Nope". "I was already convinced to throw the party and since I was planning on inviting you anyway - this seems to be the perfect solution".

"Rossi?" "How on earth did someone convince you to throw a Halloween party?" Reid inquired.

"Yeah I'd like to know that one myself", smirked Hotch.

"You're not old enough to hear about it" Rossi retorted to Reid. You mind your own business, He mock glared at Hotch.

Halloween night approached and the BAU members all left work on time that evening to get ready for the evening at Dave's home. Those who had kids were glad to be in town to share the holiday with them. Henry LaMontagne was in his ELMO phase still so JJ had found him a costume and dressed him as the red furry creature. Jack Hotchner was into the Avengers series and Hotch had him decked out as Iron Man. Halloween was on a Friday night this year and the BAU had the next day off so Dave had invited everyone to spend the night so the adults could party after the little ones went to sleep. One of Dave's stipulations was that the adults had to come in costume also (but bring a nice dressy outfit for the adult party). JJ chose to be little Red Riding Hood so Will chose to match her by going as the Big Bad Wolf. Hotch and Emily were now seeing each other so Emily convinced him to dress up as the Fonz. She dressed as Superwoman.

Across town, Derek and Penelope were adorning themselves with the outfits Penelope had chosen for them. Every since Penelope had discovered that Derek's mother Fran was part Scottish, she had been teasing him about wanting to peek and see what a real Scotsman wore under his kilt. For Halloween Penelope had chosen him a sexy Scotsman outfit. Morgan had groaned and grumbled at first as he knew the guys were going to give him grief for wearing a 'skirt' but Penelope used her special negotiation skills (it involved some warm massage oil, some ice cubes and a certain part of his lower anatomy) and Derek agreed to the outfit. She took pity on him since it was rather cool this evening and let him wear a pair of black pants under the Kilt. Since Garcia is once again a red head, she decides Rose Red would be the perfect character for her to dress up as.

Spenser Reid loved Halloween. In fact it was his favorite holiday. He looked at his girlfriend and realized how lucky he was to have found a kindred spirit. No, Halloween wasn't Jordan's favorite holiday, Christmas was actually, but that didn't mean she didn't get into the spirit of Halloween as much as Reid did. In fact she seemed to love the holiday even more as it was his favorite. Reid was going as Clark Gable and Jordan as Cleopatra. They had debated on a lot of costumes, including him going as Edward , and King Kong but being an old film buff decided to go with Clark who narrowly beat out Cary Grant from the movie I was a Male War Bride.

Everyone had agreed to meet at Rossi's at 7:00pm so they all pulled up about the same time. After hugs and kisses were shared and costumes admired, the group proceeded to the front door and Hotch picked Jack up so he could ring the bell. Little Henry was in awe looking around at all the decorations he saw on Uncle Dave's front lawn. The door opened and they were greeted by Prince Charming, normally known to them as David Rossi. Welcome to my Enchanted Castle he stated with a courtly bow. Please come in. How lovely you ladies and Gentlemen look tonight. When they were all in the foyer, Rossi closed the door, took everyone's coats and hung them on the coat rack by the door. Once this was accomplished, he ushered them to the back of his mansion where they came upon his Cinderella, handing out candy. To say the group of profilers were shocked to see their normally no nonsense Section Chief, not only dressed in costume but warmly smiling at them, was an understatement. David who was at the front of the group, walked up to Erin, kissed her on the cheek, stood by her side and upon seeing the look of surprise on his teammates faces, quipped, well what kind of Happily Ever After would it be if the Prince didn't have his princess to share it with. His words and the way Erin's face lit up had the women "aaaaaahhhhhhhhing". Jack and Henry were more interested in the Candy Dish that she was holding than the adult mush so Jack took Henry's hand and they went up and they said "Trick or Treat".

Strauss bent down and said, "Hello Jack, Henry. Aren't you two the cutest", while gently pinching their cheek.

"Hi both boys responded and thanked her with hugs after she generously filled their candy buckets. She hugged them back, bent down and whispered that Uncle Dave had a special surprise for them in the backyard but they could only have it if they had been good. Both boys hurriedly assured her they had been on their best behavior and looked to their parents for back up. Everyone laughed at the Ernest and Pleading looks the two littlest members of the BAU family were giving their parents. Hotch turned his head slightly and winked at JJ and Will and then pretended to think about it. Henry's parents caught on and did the same. They only kept it up for a few seconds as they saw the looks on the boys' faces and knew how bad they wanted the surprise and answered with an affirmation of the boys good behavior.

"Cruel guys, just cruel" Dave said as gave them a mock glare. Everyone Greeted Strauss, who playfully said, it appears Auntie Erin is going to have to tell Santa to bring your mommy and daddies a lump of coal for being naughty. She took both young boys hands and told them to close their eyes as she led them out the back door.

Once everyone was outside, Rossi told Jack and Henry they could open their eyes. As soon as they did, the boys eyes got big as saucers. Everyone's mouths were hanging open. David Rossi had created a Halloween Carnival in his backyard. I can't believe you did all this, enthused Penelope. Way cool stated, Morgan. This is totally awesome was Reid and Jordan's response. JJ and Will just shook their heads and Hotch quipped, nice of you not to go overboard, Dave. Emily asked him if he could adopt her.

The boys had already run off to the Bounce house. Jack helped Henry off with his socks and shoes and they joined the few kids that were already in there.

Rossi said, "Before the big kids run off and play, There is plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages on the tables to the left, we will bring out the adult beverages after the kids are all asleep and their friends have gone home, don't worry the pool is covered and I hired a guard to make sure no one goes near it, as you can see I fenced in this whole area for the evening so none of the kids can get out of the yard and my housekeeper and her husband are handing out candy at the front door so they will make sure none of the kids accidentally wander out that way, so just relax and enjoy yourselves.

"This is great Dave, thanks for inviting us again" said JJ.

"Yeah, I always knew you were the best but I had no ideal," said Jordan giving him a hug before she took Reid's hand and proceeded to the shooting gallery listening as Spenser promised to win her a teddy bear.

"You Rock Rossi", Garcia gushed grabbing Derek's hand as she mentally planned what they would do first.

"Speaking of Kids, Rossi, where did all these kids come from? Morgan questioned him as it was about 20 other kids there besides, Jack and Henry.

Rossi who had been holding Strauss' hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it before answering with a shrug, "Neither Erin nor I felt too comfortable with her kids going trick or treating, with all we see at work, but we didn't want to deprive the kids of having fun due to our hang-ups, so we decided to host a Halloween party for them at home and let them each invite five friends along with their two cousins that live in the area".

"And this was his ideal of a 'little' party" Strauss joked.

"Only the best for those I care about, dear" Rossi teased her as he brought his lips to hers in a stolen kiss.

Strauss was blushing but the rest of the group pretended not to notice as they wandered away to enjoy the midway games. Since Jack and Henry were younger than the Strauss children and their friends, Dave had special games and rides just for the two young boys.

Strauss and Rossi strolled around the grounds holding hands and enjoying watching their friends and the children have a good time. David won her a light blue teddy bear and playfully grumbled that it better not take up his side of the bed as he already has to fight his dog for it when the kids spend the night away from home. She reached up and bussed him on the lips telling him the bear he won is cute but she prefers to snuggle up with her human teddy bear as she squeezed his side. They rode a few rides and grabbed a bite to eat. He fed her a Foot long Corn Dog and whispered naughty comments to her about other things he liked to watch go into her mouth. She laughed and lightly smacked his arm, admonishing him that there were children present, but he would just retort that there were none within hearing distance and continued to make her blush. She was thanking him again for doing this for her and her kids when JJ and Hotch walked up with their two sleepy little boys asking Dave what bedrooms he had set up for them for the night. Dave looked to his lover as she had taken care of all the room assignments for the night. She spoke up and told them that Rossi had redecorated several of the rooms and the third door on the left as the came up the stair now contained two Race-car beds for the boys when the team stayed over. "Why don't I just walk you up their and I can show you what rooms we assigned to each of you. As the small group made their way in the house and up the stairs she told them that clean towels and wash clothes had been sat out on everyone's beds and reminded them where the linen closet was if they needed more. "There's scented kids bubble bath in the bathroom, I asked David and he told me that neither boy had any allergies that he knew of so I hope that is okay and for the adults there are an array of bath products, deodorants and shampoos so feel free to help yourself to anything you see. Oh and if anyone forgot a toothbrush, just look in the top right drawer of the vanity cabinet and you will find some brand new ones, along with toothpaste. Should you need anything else, just ask either David, myself or Mrs. Goodson the housekeeper. There are a few books with bedtime stories on the shelf with books I used to read to my kids when they were younger in case you forgot to bring a good night story to read to the boys. After making sure they had everything they needed, Strauss left them to get the boys ready for bed and headed down the stairs. She had almost asked them if they needed any help getting the boys ready for bed, but stopped herself as they were starting to warm up to her, but the bridge of friendship hadn't been fully crossed yet. Erin was just grateful that they had given her a chance. His team meant a lot to David, they truly were a family to him. Seeing them happy made him happy and Erin Strauss knew one thing for sure, she loved David Rossi enough to do almost anything to make him happy.

Descending the stairs, Strauss noticed that her children's friends were starting to get picked up by their parents. She made her way over to the door and took her place next to David, thanking the parents for letting their kids come. It was now 10:00 and the only people left at the house were Rossi, Strauss, her kids and the Team. The Strauss kids were still wired even though it was past the normal 9:30 bedtime for the two youngest of the three. Erin told them in her no nonsense mother voice that they had 20 minutes to shower dress and get into bed before she came up to tuck them in. She then softened her tone and said that if they go to bed like they were told, she would let them stay up until 10pm for family movie night tomorrow. The promise of getting to stay up late two nights in a row had them scampering up the stairs quickly.

While Erin and Dave were inside saying goodbye to the last of the kids, The other BAU members had broken out the beer and were sitting round discussing the interesting things they had learned about those two tonight. In other words, they were gossiping. Not that any of the guys would admit to that. Rossi walked out overhearing the conversation and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. Thanks for coming to night. I hope everyone had a great time so far. There is actually more to come.

Listen guys, there is plenty of beer and later on I will be bringing out the wine, liquor and Champagne along with a midnight supper. I just ask everyone to limit it to one beer until after the midnight festivities as I have something very special planned and I would like you all to be awake and sober to experience it with me. Sorry to be a bad host but I have to let Muggi out of the basement and take him for his nightly walk and Erin is busy upstairs tucking her kids in. And as I can tell you are wondering from the conversation I walked in on, yes Erin and her kids live here now. We were finally able to convince the judge that living with us was in the kids' best interest. It also didn't hurt that the kids state a preference to living with their mother and the judge found out about their father and his soon to be ex-wife trying to brainwash the kids into saying awful, untrue things about Erin. She got custody three months ago. Since she had already sold the condo she bought after the judge ordered the family home sold and the proceeds split between her and her ex during the divorce, she was thinking about moving out and buying a place for her and the kids, but there was no way I was going to let her go now that I had finally gotten her to agree to live with me so I let her know that our home was big enough and had enough love to raise her kids in and that we could be one big happy family. It takes some compromise as the kids only knew me as their mothers companion for about 6 months before she got custody and as you know I have never lived with children, but I tell you guys despite the give and take and yes sometimes the headaches, it is worth it. They are great kids and they bring me so much joy.

Dave had started to get a little misty eyed during his speech and the women were all wiping tears from their eyes. The guys were all touched too, even though they were trying to hide it. Everyone told Rossi how happy they were for him and reassured him that 'no secrets' would leave the family. Rossi left to walk his dog after telling everyone that they were more than welcome to adjourn to the den to continue the party and not to worry about clean up as the catering company would take care of it and the rest would be handles by the clean up crew that would come in the morning along with the people who would dismantle the rides. It was getting a little nippy in the air so the group made their way into the den. It doubled as a library so those who didn't want to watch tv could always find something to read in Dave's eclectic collection of books. Everyone got comfortable while Garcia popped in the DVD that they had agreed on. Dave might not be a technophile but he loved his creature comforts and therefore had the latest in audiovisual equipment in his home theaters. He had a matching system in the family room next door and in all of the bedrooms. Strauss came in shortly after the movie started with two small bowls of popcorn and pretzels. She told everyone that if they needed more she would make it but she wanted everyone to save room for the light midnight supper that had been prepared.

After walking the dog, Dave brought him upstairs and waited to see which of the children's rooms he chose to sleep in that night. Every since the kids moved in, Muggi would through some system known only to him rotate the nights in which he spent in each child's bedroom by going up to the door and scratching the door and whining if the door wasn't open so he could just nudge his way in. He would occasionally choose to sleep in the room with David and Erin but most of the time he chose one of the kids. After Muggi got settled for the night, Dave showered and made his way down to the family room to make sure everything was set up as planned. He then walked into the den and after getting everyone's attention he stated "Remember how I asked everyone to bring a nice outfit for the adult party as I had planned something special, well after I reveal to you what the plan is, I am going to need everyone to go upstairs and quickly, into those outfits.

As you know, due to the frat rules at work, Erin and I can't get legally married and work together. Technically the relationship we have now is playing fast and dangerous with the rules but we love each other and this is not a fling. We have decided that we want to spend the rest of our lives together. By this time David had walked over to Erin and took her hand, helping her up, so she could stand beside him. "We would ask you to go up stair and change out of your costumes and rejoin us downstairs at midnight in the family room for a Commitment Ceremony. Now I know that their are other couples in this room who are in the same position we are and so we invite you, should you feel the same desire to spend the rest of you life with your partner as I do mine, to join in the ceremony by making your own commitment to each other".

Erin took over the conversation, "Since we can't wear wedding rings Dave and I decided to do commitment rings, to be worn on our right ring finger. Should you choose to participate, in the ceremony as a couple tonight, then you can be measured for a personalized ring also. To keep suspicions down at work, we designed the ring to look like the rings that you received a memo at work about the whole BAU getting, starting with Alpha team, as the prototype group, to create a greater sense of solidarity and fraternity. The rings will be 14K gold and will have the inscription: Commitment and Fidelity in between two hearts. To everyone else, the rings will be a sign of loyalty to the Bureau but to those of us who choose to commit ourselves to each other tonight; our rings will have a double meaning. Those of us who choose to pledge ourselves tonight will get our rings in about two weeks as it will take the Jeweler who measures your fingers tonight that long to get them ready. Also ladies, you can, if you would like to, have your initials, well what they would be if you were legally marrying your mate, inscribed in tiny print on the inside of the ring. Since my middle name is Michelle and David's last name is Rossi, my ring with have a tiny E.M.R inscribed inside".

David took back over. "It will be midnight soon and I promised Father Jimmy that he could be on his way home to bed no later than12:30 so please everyone go change and think about if you want to take this step. Jen and Will, I know you guys are already legally married but feel free to participate if you want to". Everyone but Dave went upstairs to get ready. He double checked the preparations; including the two voice-activated camcorders and let the priest in when the doorbell rang.


	2. Chapter 2: All Saint's Day

**David Rossi's Halloween Party **

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and all the Music I allude to in this story belong to their owners. None of which are me. I just typed up the story as the figments of the Criminal Minds creator/writers' imagination, aka the characters, dictated it to me. I make no money off of this. I want Pictures and Hugs with all the men on the BAU's Alpha team, plus an individual scene with Morgan, Reid, Hotch and Rossi where I get a kiss on the forehead from each of the four of them. Ooh and since Christmas is coming up, I wouldn't mind finding all 4 under my tree in tuxes, red bow ties and Santa Hats, hold a piece of Mistletoe. That would be a very Merry Christmas to me!

A/N: See the Original Author's note on Part One.

A/N 2: Thanks to the person who reviewed Part One. It was the first review I have ever received for one of my Criminal Minds stories. You made my Year!

A/N 3: I hope everyone enjoys my meager offerings. This is the last story that I have finished. The voices have only given me one other little ficlet that is anywhere near a story, so I may not have anything else to post for a while.

A/N 4: Visit the Strauss/Rossi Forum, You Give Me Fever : forum/You-Give-Me-Fever/120042/ . Feel free to adopt, take over and/or use any of the plot bunnies or add your own you would like to see someone write.  Even if I have already used a story prompt/ideal, feel free to adopt it and use it in your own story. That is why I created the forum. I never really had any intention to write for Criminal Minds. I had written for a couple other fandoms, but the characters stopped talking to me, so I thought I would never write again. I created the forum, as there is NOT enough Rossi and Strauss fan fiction out there and I was hoping that was just because people needed more ideal and hoped to inspire more stories. 25 to life is my favorite episode for them as you can just feel the sexual tension between them about to come through the screen. For a minute, it is like Strauss forgets Morgan is in the room when she gets all up in David's face. It might be just me, but I swear this couple reminds me of David and Maddie from the tv show Moonlighting sometimes, just a more seasoned version and of course Rossi is Richer than Addison, but the similarities of David being a goner from Hello, no matter how hard he pretends he isn't and the blond who's heart needed a little thawing before she would admit he had captured her heart. Heck both couples even start out secretly sleeping together and the female begins to bond with her subordinates better as they begin to see her as more human through her love for her David. Okay I admit it, I am a hopeless romantic, but isn't that what shipping is all about? Maybe some of the writers of Criminal Minds will take pity on us shippers and give up some Rossi/Strauss and Morgan/Garcia (I ship them too, they just don't speak to me in my head) romance on screen. 

A/N 5: I took the Prayers/Words of Wisdom read by Father Jimmy from the INTERNET. I used most of it verbatim but put several Prayers together and changed a word or two what I though was more appropriate and added a phrase or two but for the most part, these beautiful words belong to others. You will find links to the websites, I consulted for this information and the music links at the bottom of this story.

A/N 5A. I deliberately didn't try to write the personal vows the couples shared in private with each other. The characters wanted the words they said to remain just between them. They told me those were private meant only for the ears of the one they love.

Rossi exchanged hugs with his friend and took his hat and coat. He thanked him for coming to do this for him and offered him tea or coffee. Father Jimmy accepted a cup of tea and helped himself to a few of the delicious Italian Pastries on the side table.

Reid was the first person to come back down stairs. Eventually everyone else drifted back into the room, with Morgan and Garcia being the last ones to come in and her teasing him that they would have been back sooner if not for her Chocolate Star spending more time in the mirror than she did. Everyone started ragging on Morgan, but then David cleared his throat and stated it was time to begin. He led the way into Living Room. Penelope was the first to Gasp and all the ladies were impressed at how it was decorated for the Ceremony. Father Jimmy took over from Rossi and began to explain why they were there that night. He explained that even though this ceremony might not be legal in the eyes of man's law, Marriage was sacred and the commitment they made that night should they chose to participate as one of the joining couples, would be witnessed by God and should not be taken lightly. He explained that this would not be a Catholic or Religious ceremony as he is a Priest and since the marriage wasn't being legally recorded or in the Catholic Church, the church would not sanction him performing a Catholic Ceremonial Mass, but since he was licensed to marry couples in the state, he could perform this symbolic ceremony for them. He implored each couple to search their hearts and only do this if they were in it until death do they part. Father Jimmy gave the couples a few minutes to talk among themselves and make the decision. He chatted with Erin and David while they waited.

The decision to join together in the ceremony was an easy one for Morgan and Garcia, Hotch and Prentiss. JJ and Will decided nothing could be as perfect as the surprise wedding Rossi had thrown for them, so they decided to just be witnesses. The only couple that was torn was Reid and Jordan. It wasn't that they didn't love each other, far from it. It was because he loved her so much, that Reid didn't want to deprive her of the chance to have a life with someone who would give her children.

It wasn't that he couldn't physically; it was that he didn't want to. Again it wasn't because he didn't love her. No if the circumstances were different, there is nothing in the world that would make him happier than to marry, the woman he loves and to spend the rest of the life making her and their children happy. He would never admit it out loud but there were times he dreamed about what it would be like to watch her stomach swell with his child. He would love to have a beautiful little girl that was a miniature of her mother. Reid knew she would have him wrapped around her tiny finger from her first breath. Spenser had also thought about Jordan giving him a precious baby boy. In his dreams, his son has the same beautiful eyes as Jordan. They would spend time together with him teaching his son all kinds of interesting things like physics magic, baseball and softball, now that Morgan had shown him how to play and of course the important things in life: to respect women, especially his mother and sister, to stand up for what he believes in and to always live with honor and integrity no matter what. For him and Jordan to have children, would be a dream come true for him, but it would also be his greatest nightmare come true, due to his worrying that he would pass along his genetic susceptibility to Schizophrenia. That is why he prayed every night that they wouldn't accidentally conceive a child. It was the same reason he fought so hard against starting a relationship with her. Lucky for him, his heart won out over his head and he had come to his senses. Even luckier for him, Jordan understood why he had originally said no when she had asked him out in the past.

Spenser was so tempted to commit to his lover in this ceremony. He wanted the world to know he loved her and how blessed he felt that she would love him too. Reid knew, that he could honestly see them spending the rest of their lives together and would promise her that in a heartbeat if he didn't feel she didn't deserve to be tied down for the rest of her life to a man who wouldn't give her the children he knew she wanted so much. She always got upset with him, when he tried to push her away telling her she needed to go out and find someone who could give her everything she wanted in life. She would look at him with this incredible look of sadness and tell him, didn't he see, he was everything she wanted in life. Seeing that look on her face broke his heart. Reid couldn't stand the fact that he was the one who brought so much sadness to her life, so he had stopped mentioning it. He knew it was selfish for him to stay in a relationship with her, when he knew nothing could ever really come of it in the end, but he was too weak to walk away. If there was one thing Spenser Reid had never had a lot of in his life, it was happiness and selfish or not, he was holding on to it as long as he can. Spenser knew one day, she would find someone who could marry her freely and without reservation and she would walk away. Some how, when that day came, he would have to find the strength to let her walk away, because as hard as he knew it was going to be for him, he knew it was what she deserved. She would make an excellent mother one day and he loved her too much to deprive her of that.

Jordan knew Spenser wasn't ready to marry her and she understood his reasons. That didn't mean she had any intention on giving up on the man she loved. She had read the literature and she knew the statistics of a child they had developing schizophrenia were relatively low. With all the studies out now, the research indicated that there were a number of things that influenced whether or not a person developed the disease. Yes Reid's mother had developed it but there was also an environmental trigger (Spenser had shared with her his mother's involvement in the Reilly Jenkins' case, the night he had shared with her why he didn't want to have children. They held each other as they cried, eventually, falling asleep in each other's arms) that may have influenced the onset of the disease. As much as she wanted children with Spenser, she didn't want to force him into something that he wasn't ready for. That didn't mean she was willing to give up on the love they shared. It just meant that unless and until he was ready, they would just have to continue to do everything in their power to prevent her from becoming pregnant, when they made love.

Even though they had made the decision not to get married in the commitment ceremony, Reid still wanted to reassure Jordan that he loves her very much. He took both her hands in his and brought each one to his lips one at a time and kissed her on the knuckles, while looking in her eyes and whispering I love you. She looked back at him, eyes shining with love and told him, I love you too.

Father Jimmy cleared his throat a few minutes later and said, "It looks like everyone has had time to come to a decision. Once again, I remind you, that they commitment you take today is not one that should be entered into lightly. While it is true, this is not a religious ceremony that is being performed in the church, or a legal ceremony, that will be recorded in court house records, we will be asking God to bless these unions of the heart tonight and you will be declaring your intentions in the presence of God, and that supersedes any laws of man. So I implore you, if you have any doubts, do not make these pledges tonight, if you cannot enter into them freely, without doubt or reservation, or if you don't intent to keep the covenant you make tonight to remain loving, be faithful, cherish each other and to do your best to raise any children born to these unions under the Tenants of God's Holy Law.

The first thing is for those couples who will be joining tonight to formally declare your intentions by stepping over to the side table where Erin is seated and Printing your name on the Certificate of Marital Rites. Any couples that choose not to join together tonight, if you would just take a seat in the seats provided. We will begin the proceedings shortly, he stated as he pointed to the chairs that had been prearranged for the best viewing of the ceremony.

Rossi asked all the men to come to the back of the room, and pick up a bouquet of roses for their lady. He explained to the guys, whether or not they were marrying their lady tonight, the flowers would be a symbol to his ladylove of how much he cares for her. David kissed Erin on her cheek before he handed her flowers to her. He waited for each of the guys to hand his lady a bouquet before he explained the meaning behind the colors selected. He spoke to the room but he stared into Erin's eyes as he told his friends, each bouquet contains 11 roses. When a man gives woman 11 roses, it means you are well and truly loved.

There are two Red roses. The first one means, I love you and the second one symbolizes the respect I feel for you, the courage you give me and the passion we share; The White rose in a Bridal bouquet symbolizes happy love; The two Yellow roses with the red tip symbolizes friendship and falling in love; The other two yellow roses symbolize Joy and a new beginning; The two pink roses symbolize perfect happiness and that you are a woman of Grace; The Orange rose symbolizes desire; The Lavender rose symbolizes Enchantment; If you look closely you will see that the Red and White rose stems are intertwined together as when those two colors are given together it symbolizes Unity. The flowers were beautiful and all the women loved them.

Father Jimmy called for the ceremony to begin and he turned on an instrumental version of Ave Maria to play softly in the background during the ceremony.

As Erin and David, Derek and Penelope, Aaron and Emily joined Father Jimmy at the front of the room; he had each man stand to the left of his intended and take her hand in his.

The first thing Father Jimmy did was offer up a Prayer of Thanks for the love these couples share that brought them together that evening and a prayer for the continued safety of all that had gathered within. He then began to recite the words of the Prayers of Joining that he, David and Erin had agreed would be appropriate for the evening's festivities:

"In joining your lives may God grant you both...Love... to afford each other a special quality of time together. Joy, in the accomplishments of one another. Understanding...that your interests and desires will not always be the same. Friendship...based on mutual trust. Courage...to speak of a misunderstanding and to work on a solution before the setting of the sun. Compassion...to comfort each other in pain and sorrow. Foresight...to realize rainbows follow rainy days. Imagination...to keep with you part of the child you used to be. Mirth...from your sense of humor. Awareness...to live each day with the knowledge that there is no promise of tomorrow."

I admonish you to always remember to treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship, as they threaten all relationships at one time or another, remember to focus on what is right between you, not just the part which seems wrong. In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the Sun in your lives...remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the Sun is still there.

And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight. For where two or three are gathered together in the Lord's name, there he will be in the midst of them.

I pray that our Gracious God, will richly bless your union and help you keep the promises you have made to each other today. May he grant that the courtesies, the thoughtfulness, and the self giving which already have laid the foundation for your love, a love that will build the home which is raised on it.

May you be loyal and engaging companions to each other, and may you be loving and wise parents. And in this world where there is much disillusion and disappointment...where love brings delight and also wounding in the frailty of our ways...we ask our Heavenly Father to make the two of you a visible symbol of the love that does not wane when the evening comes but is fresh with each new day.

We ask God, as you bless this special couple this day, that you bless each union represented here. Please Lord, perfect their imperfect love with the joy that comes from above.

Father in heaven, You ordained marriage for your children, and you gave us love. These couples come to you today and ask your blessings on their Union. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment. We ask that You, God, will give them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; when mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; when there is misunderstanding, give patience and gentleness; if suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love.

Now is the time where each individual couple will make their vows of commitment to each other. I ask that you turn to each other and make your pledges. These are your promises to be made only to each other. The words you say to each other are not for your family and friends gathered her tonight, but are solemn oaths to be repeated only to each other. When you have finished, I ask that you turn back towards me. After all the couples have made their private vows to each other, we will continue the ceremony.

When all the couples were facing him, Father Jimmy looked directly at David and asked him to repeat the Formal vows, he and Erin wanted to use for the ceremony, after him. "I, David Anthony Rossi, take you, Erin Michelle Strauss to be my honored and beloved wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. I promise I will never give you reason to doubt my commitment and fidelity or my love for you. I ask God to bless this union and will be eternally grateful to him for blessing me with your love. I give you my heart, my life and all that I am and promise I will love no one but God above you and our family. You have my dedication through out this lifetime and the only thing that I will even think of allowing to part us is when God calls one of us home to our eternal rest. Even then, I will be anxiously a-waiting the time when we will be by each other's side again for eternity".

When Rossi had finished his vows, Father Jimmy turned to Erin and asked her to repeat the same words: "I, Erin Michelle Strauss, take you, David Anthony Rossi to be my honored and beloved husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. I promise I will never give you reason to doubt my commitment and fidelity or my love for you. I ask God to bless this union and will be eternally grateful to him for blessing me with your love. I give you my heart, my life and all that I am and promise I will love no one but God above you and our family. You have my dedication through out this lifetime and the only thing that I will even think of allowing to part us is when God calls one of us home to our eternal rest. Even then, I will be anxiously awaiting the time when we will be by each other's side again for eternity".

After Erin finished her vows, Father Jimmy repeated the procedure with Derek and Penelope and then Aaron and Emily. When Emily had finished her vows, Father Jimmy address the all that were gathered. He intoned, these couples have made a commitment to each other today in the eyes of God and these witnesses. There are going to be times when these commitments are tested. I charge all in attendance today to stand firm with each couple that has joined here and help them to remember the love and devotion that there share today when hard times come and to do all that you can spiritually and morally to help them hold on to their love during the days when dark clouds may threaten their sunshine. Remember dear hearts, when the storms come in life and you feel you are so tossed and turned that you don't know how you are going on, that rain in necessary in life, as without it nothing can grow. May God bless and keep each and everyone of you and may Heaven smile upon you. In as much as these couples have consented to be committed in marriage in their hearts, I now pronounce them Husband and Wife. Whom God has joined, let no man put asunder.

Gentleman you may now kiss your brides. None of the guys had to be told twice. All three couples seemed to be trying to out do each other for world's longest kiss. It took the Priest a few throat clearings before the last lip lock was broken.

Witnesses, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. David and Erin Rossi, Mr. and Mrs. Derek and Penelope Morgan and Mr. and Mrs. Aaron and Emily Hotchner.

Hugs and congratulations were passed around before David invited everyone to help themselves to the food that had been prepared for a light supper. After Father Jimmy had mingled with the crowd for a few minutes, he fixed himself a plate of food and made his way over to Rossi to say Goodbye. David once again thanked his old friend for everything he had done that evening, especially since it was well past 12:30 when the ceremony finished. He excused himself from his other guests and walked the priest to the door. Even though Father Jimmy had offered to perform the ceremony for free for his friend, before he left, Rossi paid him for his services and gave him a couple checks made out to his favorite charities, since he had come out so far and so late as a special favor to David. They hugged goodbye like old friends do and Rossi watched until his friend had gotten safely inside the car he hired to drive him to and from the wedding. He shut and locked the front door before rearming the alarm.

Rossi reentered the living room and couldn't help the huge grin that broke out on his face as he looked at his lovely bride. It was getting late. They were not having a traditional reception but he did want a wedding dance with his lady. He had left the song choice up to Erin and when she told him which one she chose, he agreed it was perfect for them, O'Bryan's You and I  obryan/best-of-obryan/you-i. He walked over to Erin, took her hand, told the others it was time for the first dance and then started the pre-made wedding song CD. Rossi pulled his new bride in his arms when the song started and they slow danced to the music as the other couples followed suit. \

After the first dance was over Erin announced that when each couple went up to their room, they would find the champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and miniature wedding cakes she and David's butler had placed in their rooms during the wedding. She thanked each of them for sharing in her and David's special day and told them that they could stay downstairs and dance as long as they wanted. David and I are going to enjoy a couple more songs and then adjourn to our room. Rossi jumped in here and stated so we bid you goodnight now, just in case we go up stair before you do and all that I ask is that you remember that their are children in the house. I've arraigned for a continental Breakfast to be set out in the morning, for the kids and those adults who intend to be up for that. Erin and I will be joining you for lunch. In other words, the do not disturb sign will be on the door until then, so don't knock on my bedroom door before then under penalty of being shot. Erin blushed but they noticed she didn't contradict him.

David held Erin and danced with her through the next few songs. The other couples began to leave the room one by one until it was finally just Erin and David. The last song they danced to was, Tonight I Celebrate My Love for You by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson  . .

When the song had ended, the couple cut off the cd sound system, left the room and hand in hand walked up the stairs to their bedroom. David stopped Erin just outside of their bedroom door. "And just where do you think you are going Mrs. Rossi?" he asked. She loved the sound of that coming from his lips. "Into our bedroom, Mr. Rossi. I have plans for you that I can't put into motion until we are behind closed doors".

"And I look forward to everyone of those plans my love but first things first, I get to carry you over the threshold" stated David as he turned the knob to open the room door and scooped Erin up in his arms. He surprised her and she let out a little squeal but it was not loud enough to alert anyone thankfully. By the time she got ready to open her mouth to put up a token protest, Rossi was already gently laying her down on their bed.

The End of Part Two

Thanks for reading

CMGUYSGIRL

Places I found useful to help with this story:

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